Blues man Keb Mo' is back at the Keswick

With his full band behind him, iconic bluesman Kevin Moore will make his return to the Keswick Theatre on Friday, Nov. 2. World-renowned by his stage name, Keb’ Mo’, the three-time Grammy Award winner is always happy to come back to the area.

“I really like Philly,” said Moore. “It’s cool. And (the Keswick) is a great little theater, great sound — we always have a good time playing there.”

With an infectious grin and a joyful, oftentimes boisterous stage presence, Moore doesn’t quite fit the mold of the brooding bluesman. An impeccable guitarist (with a slew of other instruments in his repertoire), it’s clear that he has a deep appreciation for the great artists who have come before him. And it’s evident that he loves the music he’s creating. Up onstage, he’s enjoying himself just as much as the audience is.

“The blues is happy to me,” said Moore, matter-of-factly. “Sure, it is basically known for being sad. But I look at it as you’re gonna do what you’re gonna do. Why not enjoy yourself?

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“But there is a happiness in the blues itself too,” he continued. There’s a happiness in knowing you’re not alone, that other people are dealing with the same kinds of things. When I’m , I like to talk about positive things. That might make me unauthentic as a blues guy, but it feels good to me.”

Featured in 2003’s Martin Scorsese documentary series “The Blues,” Keb’ Mo’ has toured consistently throughout his career. His signature blend of upbeat, distinctly voiced blues, soul and R&B has garnered him both critical and commercial success. In addition to the three aforementioned Grammys, Moore has played on an Eric Clapton album, toured with Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne and even played “America the Beautiful” in the White House before the president (that’s President Matt Santos, on the series finale of “The West Wing.”)

Still touring on the heels of his 2011 release “The Reflection,” Moore isn’t on tour to sell records. He’s just trying to give folks a good time — something he’s done quite naturally over the course of his entire career.

“I don’t think in those terms, that I’m promoting something,” said Moore when asked what music his new and longtime fans could expect to hear. “I just kind of come out to do a performance. I’ll be playing from out of the whole catalogue. The way I think about it is, what songs are people going to like, what’s going to make people leave the happiest?”

That’s not to say Moore doesn’t have something lined up for the future, however. The veteran bluesman said he’s currently putting together a new album. But he doesn’t necessarily think the road is the place to experiment with or even fine-tune such a project.

“No, I won’t be playing anything brand-new or anything like that,” said Moore. I’ve got a bunch of stuff in the works, but I’m not really ready to start playing it out yet — haven’t got it all working like I want it. This show is going to be me just doing my thing, you know?”

So, fans old and new can probably expect the best that Moore’s extensive catalogue has to offer. With more than 10 albums worth of work to choose from, the grinning bluesman definitely won’t have a shortage of material to work with.

“We’re just looking forward to coming back to the Keswick,” said Moore. “We always love coming back there, really enjoy the sound in that theater. We’re really looking forward to seeing people come out and have a good time — we aim to please.”